In this week’s Hope for the Journey, Fr. Javier reflects on the return of sacramental wine in our Sunday worship.
Worship. Serve. Grow.
Worship. Serve. Grow.
Posts by Javier Almendárez-Bautista (Page 3)
On Sunday mornings this Lent, join us as we explore not just Scripture, but how we read it–the many ways that we can enter into relationship with it. From midrash to comic books, our speakers will shed light on various tools we can use to find meaning in our sacred texts.
On Wednesday evenings during Lent, join Rabbi Raachel Jurovics, diocesan rabbi-in-residence, as we explore Christian and Jewish interpretive approaches to Scripture. All discussions will take place via Zoom from 7:00-8:15 p.m., and they will feature a 45-minute presentation by Rabbi Raachel followed by an interactive exercise.
In this week’s Hope for the Journey, Fr. Javier reflects on the 2019 film The Best of Enemies: “Thank God for people like Atwater: people who believe in the potential of unlikely friendship without sacrificing their dignity and worth in the process. Thank God for unlikely converts like Ellis too, and the ways that we—each in our own way—are called to emulate both.”
In this week’s Hope for the Journey, Fr. Javier reflects on the prayer practice known as lectio divina: “Practicing this kind of attention is counter-cultural. In a world of endless news cycles and constant distraction, I’ve found it to be an enriching and grounding endeavor.”
In this week’s Hope for the Journey, Fr. Javier reflects on songwriting and the art of reading Scripture: “Sometimes, it is easier to find answers about how things work than to discover why things are the way they are… [Scripture] doesn’t always provide us clear answers, but it does help us ask better questions.”
In this week’s Hope for the Journey, Fr. Javier reflects on one of W. B. Yeats’ timeless poems: “In this uncertain time—a time where the world, once again, seems to be falling apart at the seams—what does it look like to welcome the hope of the Prince of Peace and Lord of Lords?”
Sunday worship and formation activities will only be available virtually on January 2, 9, and 16. Sign up by following the link in the announcement. On Sundays in January and February, join St. Paul’s clergy for our winter series on prayer practices in the Christian tradition.
In this week’s Hope for the Journey, Fr. Javier reflects on the gospel readings in Advent: “To receive the Christ child… means to enjoy the gift of God-with-us, God’s ever-present grace in our lives. It also means, however, listening to the prophets who prepared the way by calling us to repentance: pushing us to return to the way of love, calling us out of slavery to sin and into the freedom of the Good News.”
This Advent, join the clergy for contemplative prayer services each Wednesday leading up to Christmas Week (December 1, 8, and 15).